


woodwork

by youareoldfatherwilliam



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Gaang (Avatar) as Family, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Non-Graphic Violence, Not Canon Compliant, canon-divergent, excessive amounts of hand-holding, i sort of threw canon timelines into a blender
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-14 09:08:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19270150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youareoldfatherwilliam/pseuds/youareoldfatherwilliam
Summary: Katara decides to learn more about Zuko; and in the process, maybe falls (just a tiny bit) in love.Set after the events of the Southern Raiders.





	1. we got a lot to learn

**Author's Note:**

> So, some things before I post this:
> 
> It was originally going to be very short. Like, 1k, and it was supposed to be a series of short vignettes about Katara discovering Zuko. But then it grew, and grew, and well....here you are! (throws it at you and hides). 
> 
> I would also like to apologize beforehand, if some of the dialogue comes off as stunted, or OOC- I hate writing extensive amounts of dialogue, and I tend to avoid it. But, I decided to challenge myself with this one, and it's likely the most dialogue I've written for a story in a long while (since high school, probably) so, I hope it worked out mostly okay. 
> 
> Also, because this wasn't supposed to be this long, the chapter separation is completely arbitrary; the real dividers are the underlines in-between each "scene". The only reason I didn't break them up that way is because the lengths are pretty random. 
> 
> The work title is from "Woodwork", by Sleeping at Last. 
> 
> The m rating is really just to be safe, because of, well, see the tags above. But it's closer to t, honestly. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title is from "I won't Give Up", by Jason Mraz.

The first thing she learns about Zuko is that he can cook, surprisingly well.

It is their first night on Ember Island, and she is wrung out, raw, still processing the events of the past three days. Her father, gone again. Her mother’s killer, unmasked; helpless at her feet. Choosing not to kill the miserable monster.

She sits on the dock below the house long past the sunset, long after the rest of her friends, family, have gone inside. It had been a mad dash earlier, to claim rooms in their spacious new house; all she can remember of hers is that there was an ocean view. Immediately after, she’d come out here to think, to cry some more, to simply be.

But it is late, and she supposes that Sokka will have started clamoring for dinner already; her brother has never learned how to cook; neither has Toph, or Aang, and Suki could probably burn rice. It is her duty, so she rouses herself with a sigh; dips her toes in the ocean one last time, and moves to go in the house. She’ll probably feel more alive after eating and sleeping, anyways.

But when she gets in the house, a delicious scent washes over her. Curious, she follows her nose; finds the rest of her family gathered in a slightly-dusty living area. Everyone has a bowl of…something, on their laps, and she’s a little confused; does the Firelord’s house come with a live-in chef, too?

Aang spins to her in a tizzy, and hands her a last bowl. She considers the contents; soup, made with some sort of bean? Pea? She’s not certain, but she takes a sip, and immediately, her mouth is assaulted by flavor; spices she’s never had before, flavor combinations she’d never thought to try. “What is this?”

“Lentil soup!” Aang gives her a blinding grin. “Zuko made it! Isn’t it good? It’s completely vegetarian, too! I was just about to come get you for dinner!”

She stares at the prince, who has somehow curled himself into a ball on one of the armchairs, Toph at his side. He shrugs. “You looked tired. I figured I’d cook”.

Zuko has helped her with the cooking before, at the Western Air Temple, but she’d never let him do too much; certain that he would try to poison them all. She’d had no idea that he could- that he could produce _this_. Her staring seems to unnerve him, and he blushes. “It’s not that hard. Mother taught me when I was a child”.

She opens her mouth; she needs to say _something_ to this; he’s not even her friend, not really, she’s barely just forgiven him; but here he is, cooking dinner for her, and she’s not sure what to do in this situation. Thankfully, Aang interrupts her first. “Katara! Come sit with me!”

She nods gratefully at the airbender, and moves to the long-cushioned chair. Sokka and Suki have claimed the center table in the room for themselves; her brother has barely even looked at her, too engrossed in his food, though Suki waves at her as she comes to join them. She smiles, and moves to let herself relax. They are here, they are all safe. Sozin’s comet is quickly approaching; she’s ready to let the past go, and start focusing on bigger things. Aang is nowhere near ready to fight the Firelord, after all.

Still though, she can’t resist sneaking glances at the shaggy-haired boy sitting across from her, who keeps griping: _Toph get your dirty feet off my lap I swear to Agni!_

 ___________________________________

After that, she starts to pay a bit more attention.

She’s realizing, now that she’s no longer looking through hate-filled eyes, that she knows next to nothing about Zuko. She is also the only one of them who has not carved out some sort of niche, with him; Sokka spars with him, as does Suki, Aang trains with his _Sifu Hotman_ , and Toph usually steals chicken-piggy-back rides from him. (He is oddly patient with the younger girl; the two of them get along far better than she would have expected. Perhaps it has something to do with being wandering nobility?)

But she doesn’t know him; most of their conversations have been harsh, abrasive, designed to hurt the other. She has too many conflicting images of him; the angry, armored prince; the somber boy from the crystal caves; the longer-haired, softer-spoken teenager who offered to teach the Avatar how to firebend.

Because that’s what he is, after all; a teenager like the rest of them, with his own story that she’s discovering she wants to get to know. She’s forgiven him, after all. The rest of them are her family; and well, she thinks that she wants to be able to at least call Zuko a friend; he has earned that much, to be considered one of them.

 ___________________________________

So, the next thing she learns about him is that he _hates_ shopping.

The comet is only a little under one-and-a-half months away; Toph and Zuko have increased Aang’s training, to the point where the younger boy complains that he has had enough, that he needs a break. Aang wants to go into the central town on the island, and she cheerfully agrees with him; they are beginning to run low on supplies and food, and while the house (mansion? It’s bigger than she’d thought at first) has a certain stock of dried goods, she wants to see what other produce the Fire Nation has. Traveling around prior, they hadn’t gotten much chance to experience the Fire Nation in relative safety.

Ember Island also seems like a lovely place, unlike anywhere she’s ever been before, and she can’t deny that she’s a little curious to explore, as well.

So, they make it a group outing. Zuko gives them a lecture beforehand, on safety in crowds, but really, it isn’t as though they’ve never been around other people before. The prince huffs and pulls on a dark black cloak and…well, she _supposes_ it’s to hide his face, but honestly, all he’s doing is standing out like a sore thumb.

Once they reach the market-square at the center of the island town, Sokka and Suki immediately split off, to go and look at a weapons-store together. She can’t help smiling at that; Suki really is perfect for her brother; she manages to put up with Sokka’s crazy antics, after all.

Aang turns to her, and she can see the beginnings of his trademark grin lighting up his face; but before he can speak, Toph grabs his hand. “Come on, Twinkletoes. I smell something good. Let’s go look for food!” The earthbender starts to drag him away, and Aang waves sheepishly at her as he goes, and oh, she supposes that leaves her alone with Zuko.

They haven’t really been properly alone since their trip to the Southern Raiders; it’s a little awkward. He’s staring (a little too intensely, she thinks) at a couple of old men nearby who are playing some sort of board game with tiles, so she supposes it’s up to her to break the tension. “Let’s go shopping, Zuko. I want to go see the food stalls”.

His eyes widen, but he nods. The silence is a little less strained than before, but she forgets about it the instant they reach the market vendors. She’s never seen so much produce at once, all in a rainbow of colors.

For the next few minutes, all she can do is marvel, and it seems to be enough to break Zuko out of whatever funk he’s placed himself in. “Are you okay?”

She shakes her head. “What? Yes! I’ve just…what’s that?” She points at a small, greenish thing that she _thinks_ may be a fruit.

The prince coughs. “They’re called chenet. They’re sweet, on the inside”.

“And those?”

“Pineapples”.

His tone is short, but she looks at him; he doesn’t appear upset, only that he’s watching everyone who passes as though they’re a hidden enemy. Maybe he’s paranoid? Either way, she won’t let him spoil her fun; and besides, every moment spent with him is a learning experience. So, she grabs him by the hand, ignoring the startled look on his face, and proceeds to drag him with her. The Firelord’s house had a safe filled with money that Zuko hadn’t hesitated to open, along with some gold that he’d brought with him when he joined them; so, she takes the liberty of buying as much as she likes.

Every so often, she asks the prince for his opinion; he gives it, if quickly and quietly, and they proceed. After about an hour though, he starts to lag more and more. It’s after she’s done with the food and taken him to a nearby clothing stall that he finally sighs, and she turns to look at him. “Alright, what is it?”

Gold eyes stare at her from beneath his ridiculous hood. “What?”

“You look as though you’re being tortured”.

He rolls his neck, and crosses his arms. “It’s not that. It’s just…I don’t like shopping very much. Uncle used to drag me to all sorts of weird places, and he’d get the strangest things”.

She pauses. “Your uncle… he was in Ba Sing Se, right?”

He looks down. “Yeah”. The silence has become uncomfortable, barely healed wounds being exposed. But she’s _forgiven_ him, for that, and she doesn’t want to dredge up past hurts right now, so she simply nods. “Alright. Let’s go find Toph and Aang, and head back; Sokka and Suki will come back when they’re ready, I guess.”

He looks shocked, as though he can’t believe she’s letting it go so easily (she can’t really believe it herself, because a part of her wants to prod until she gets answers out of him; _why did you do it? Why are you here, now?_ ) but she forces herself to start walking. This thing between them, this tenuous peace; she does not think they’re at the stage where she can really start asking those questions, yet.

There will be time to contemplate his actions later, anyways.

 ___________________________________

It turns out that Zuko’s father really is a horrible person.

Objectively, she’d known that before, obviously, in the vague he’s-trying-to-take-over-the-world-what-an-arse sort of way, and that of course, he was _Fire Nation_ ; they decimated her people (although she’s learning that they are not all, perhaps, evil people). Regardless, he was still a _father_ ; she figured he had to at least love his children, his family; who wouldn’t?

But Sokka and Suki come back to the house later that night after their shopping trip, faces flushed with past excitement, but also gravely serious. Her brother waves a piece of paper. “Zuko”.

The prince turns from where he’s diligently been chopping fruits at her side in the kitchen, for a salad, and glances a cursory eye at the paper. “Oh. I’m surprised it took him this long”.

She frowns, and pauses where she’s stirring the rice congee for dinner. Outside, the sounds of Toph pummeling Aang in earthbending can be heard; but all she can focus on is the slip of paper her brother holds.

On it, there’s a rather horribly-drawn picture of Zuko (his nose looks like a potato?), with the words: _WANTED. PRINCE ZUKO. DEAD OR ALIVE._

There’s more after that, but there’s also a sudden rushing in her ears. She whips to face him. “What do you mean, it’s late? You expected this?!”

The look he gives her seems far too mild, given their current situation. “Yes. I mean, I’m a traitor to him. I came to join the Avatar. But last time he called me a traitor, they went up much faster”. She shakes her head- w _hat kind of father hunts his own child? Dead or alive?_ –but he continues. “Besides, it’s not that big a deal, is it? Toph told me she’s had a wanted poster before, and Aang’s the Avatar- there are definitely posters of him”.

She shakes her head, and next to her, Sokka agrees. “But he’s your dad. They wouldn’t really try to kill you, would they?”

Zuko shrugs. “He’s tried before”.

The room gets quieter, at that, and Zuko flushes, as if he’s only now realizing what he’s saying. She can’t stop staring at him- _what? How? When? Why are you so calm about this?_ –but Toph and Aang burst into the kitchen, before anyone else can get a word out. In her usual brash way, Toph takes in the atmosphere. “Why’s everyone so quiet?”

Suki speaks up. “Zuko has a wanted poster”.

The younger girl’s face lights up. “Cool! Sparky, we match!”

Zuko huffs at her, but there’s a little smile on his face. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing, Toph”. He turns back to his fruit board, apparently taking that as his cue to exit the conversation. She shakes herself; the rice is beginning to boil over. So, she looks at Suki, who nods back. The other girl starts to herd the others out of the kitchen; Sokka and Aang are discussing the poster in hushed voices, and Toph steals a grape from Zuko on her way out, as he ruffles her hair.

When they’re alone again, she knows she probably shouldn’t pry, but she can’t help it. “Why would he do that?”

The chopping pauses for a second, before continuing. “I don’t want to talk about it”.

She looks at him. His face is stoic, but he’s angled himself away from her, and his shoulders are hunched in on themselves. Even with what little understanding of him she has, she knows he wants the conversation to be over, right now. So, she looks back at the congee. “Alright”.

Next to her, the prince sighs; but they finish making dinner in silence.

  ___________________________________

A few days after their shopping trip, she wakes to the sounds of clanging metal.

The noise drags her from her sleep; blearily, she tries to remember where she is, sees the ocean outside her balcony (her own balcony!) and groans, hiding her head in the silk sheets. Normally, she would not sleep in like this; but she’d been up late last night, waterbending in the courtyard at the front of the house. She drags herself down the staircase. In the kitchen, Suki and Toph are both leaning over cups of strong-smelling tea; she passes them, and follows her ears outside.

In the front, Sokka and Zuko are clashing with swords, while Aang is meditating cross-legged at the edge of the yard, holding a tiny fireball cupped in his palm. Momo is sitting on the airbender’s head, chewing some sort of nut.

She’s known, before, that they spar often; but she has never bothered to watch a practice, choosing instead to stay close to Aang and make sure that Zuko wasn’t anywhere near him, unless they were firebending. But seeing it for herself, now, she learns something else about Zuko.

He is an amazing swordfighter.

She doesn’t know much about swords, but it is obvious, even to her, that he’s completely in control of the fight. Her brother is a good fighter, she’d heard Master Piandao say, but Zuko is like nothing she’s ever seen before. The blades he wields- dao, she thinks she’d heard him say, once – flash around him in a hurricane of silver, each movement precise and calculated.

It’s strange that he’d be so good; he’s a bender, after all. She knows it’s rare for benders to wield weapons; she herself is a master bender, a fighting prodigy, but she has never touched a blade with the intent to fight.

She inches closer to the spar, wanting to see more. Her brother is quick and deadly, darting in with swipes of his space sword while Zuko moves with a flowing, dancing grace. Their blows ring out across the courtyard. Eventually though, in a movement so fast that she can barely see it, her brother is flat on the ground, space sword sent flying, with one of Zuko’s blades pointed unerringly at his neck and the other at his crotch. Sokka yelps. “Watch where you’re pointing that thing, jerkbender!”

Zuko smirks, before flipping his swords around and re-sheathing them on his back. He offers her brother a hand up. “Why do you keep calling me that?”

Sokka shrugs. “Because you’re a jerk, jerkbender”. Her brother doesn’t seem too upset, though. “Well?”

The firebender shakes his head. “You’re still favoring your left, and you need to practice your footwork. But you’ve gotten a lot better; I think Master Piandao was right, about you. You’re definitely a prodigy”.

Her brother puffs up, and she can’t help but smile; it’s a been a while since she’s seen him grin like that. Before any of them can speak again, though, Aang interrupts, bouncing up from where he’s been sitting. “Sifu Hotman! May I please stop now, oh great Sifu!”

Zuko scowls. “Stop calling me that! And I told you, meditate with fire until the sunlight reaches the mark!” He waves at a rather faded red line drawn into the courtyard, which the rising sun is indeed slowly creeping towards. The airbender groans, but resumes his position, muttering something under his breath that she can’t quite hear.

It’s then, that Suki appears behind her. “Sokka! Come on, let’s spar a bit too. I’m awake now”. Her brother perks up, and moves to follow the Kyoshi warrior.

She crosses the yard and moves to where Zuko has taken out his swords again, and begun to polish them with a rag. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”

Golden eyes blink at her from where he is sitting at the central fountain in the yard. “Master Piandao trained me when I was a child”.

She lights up at that. “Really? We stayed with him for a while.”

Zuko nods. “Yeah, Sokka told me. He’s considered one of the best swordsmen in the country”.

She moves to sit beside him and runs her finger along the edge of one blade. It is wicked sharp, as expected. “Why do you fight with swords? You’re a bender, right? What’s the point?”

He shuffles, a little. “I couldn’t bend until I was seven, and even so I’ve never been considered a good bender. Azula’s the prodigy. But my cousin brought me to Piandao, and I really enjoyed it”.

“Hmm”. She considers this, and it makes sense; she can almost picture a tiny Zuko, holding a pair of too-large swords, wildly swinging them around. “I’ve never thought of using a weapon before. And you never told us you had a cousin!” She wonders why she’s never heard of this person; maybe they’re back at the palace?

“It’s not for everyone”. Zuko puts one blade down, and reaches for its twin. “Benders don’t usually use weapons, but I think it’s useful to know how. And he’s dead. My cousin, that is”.

“I- oh”. Inadvertently, she has prodded a sore spot; his posture is tensed. Again, she wants to push- _how much don’t I know about you?_ –but barely, she refrains. And it is then, that an idea hits her; this can be a way for her to understand him better, to learn more about this strange boy. “Can you teach me?”

He swings his head to face her; both eyes are widened, even the scarred one, and she can’t help but laugh internally, at how much he looks like a baby otter-penguin. “Huh?”

She soldiers on. “Not to swordfight, but can you teach me basic combat? You can fight without weapons, without your bending, I’ve seen you do it. I want to learn how”.

“Yeah- I mean- sure, I can do that”. He nods a little slowly, as if he’s still processing her request. “When?”

She pauses, considers; her energy is best at night, after all. “Tonight? After dinner?”

He nods again, and she grins at him, moving indoors to begin cooking a late breakfast. Inwardly, though, her mind is roiling; trying to fit together the puzzle that she doesn’t think she’s got all the pieces for.

But she will. The more she learns, the more interesting he gets.

  ___________________________________

Zuko, as it turns out, is a very strict, demanding teacher.

She’s known this from watching him train Aang back at the temple; but having all that intensity focused on her is another story entirely. He doesn’t hold back, or go easy on her at all; and very quickly, she’s learning just how much he outclasses her in hand-to-hand combat.

As a bender, she is confident; able to hold her own against him. They’re evenly matched as benders, but she’s beaten him before; she knows she can probably do so again.

But as simple fighters, she continuously finds herself flat on her back. They’ve decided not to hold the lesson in the courtyard, but have made their way down to the Firelord’s private beach, barefoot in the sand as the half-moon shines light above them. Soon, she’s covered in sand, staring up at him from where he’s holding out a hand for her to take, _again_. “Why is this so difficult? I know I’m a good fighter. I thought I’d be able to pick this up quickly too”.

Zuko takes a step back and pauses, considering. “Maybe that’s the problem”.

She huffs a breath. “Huh?”

“You’re a water bender. This entire time, you’ve been focused on trying to attack me, trying to land a hit with the offensive moves I showed you. But you leave yourself wide open. You’re not a very big person”- and here she squawks, offended, but he continues on- “and you don’t have a lot of brute force. Instead of trying to outright attack me, try instead to redirect my strength against me.” He looks down, showing the first sign of nerves she’s seen all night. “That’s a principle of waterbending, right?”

She nods, her indignation fading- this makes sense to her. “Yeah, it is. How’d you know that?”

“My uncle taught me”. His face darkens, briefly, but the look is more saddened than anything else. “He learned to adapt firebending moves by watching waterbenders”.

She can’t help it; she needs to know more. The two styles are, quite literally, opposites. She’s never thought properly of combining them. “How did he do that?”

Zuko runs a hand through his hair. “I- I’m not sure, exactly. But he taught me how to redirect lighting, that way. And”- here his voice gets quieter- “I think some of it is also natural crossover. In the caverns, do you remember how I was using fire whips, and you used water whips? They’re opposite, but equal”.

She feels a shiver at the reminder of Ba Sing Se, but his face is already downcast, as if he’s expecting her to berate him; but somehow, she can tell that he is already berating himself. So, she nods, slowly, wanting the guilty look on his face to go away for reasons she doesn’t fully understand yet. “That makes sense”. He still won’t look at her. “Let’s try it, then”.

Now, he moves. “Try what?”

“Let’s try again, and I’ll work on redirecting strength rather than forcing you back”. She moves into a ready position and he follows her, moving slowly. “Then after that, let’s spar”.

He frowns. “We are sparring. That’s what I’m teaching you to do”.

She shakes her head. “No, I mean let’s spar with our bending. An actual fight, not what we’re doing now”. She pauses, studies him carefully; after all, they’ve never fought like that before, without the intent to hurt. “If you’re up for it”.

The prince’s face stretches into a tiny smile, which is the happiest face he’s ever directed at her. It feels a little as if the sun has come out; and her breath catches, even though she doesn’t know why. “You’re on, waterbender”.

She finds herself flat on her back, again, but he nods at her approvingly, and she feels a fresh swell of determination to improve, to be better. She enjoys a good fight; this is simply another aspect of learning. She shakes the sand off herself and moves towards the gentle ocean waves, walking in until she’s about a foot deep. Zuko stays where he is on the beach, and they take up bending poses opposite each other.

A breath, and the fight is on.

She moves with grace, with power; the moon is out, even if it isn’t full, and this is her element. Across from her, Zuko has robed himself in flames; his fighting is decisive and fast, stronger than she’s ever seen it before. As she attacks, he defends, and they repeat, she realizes that this is less of a fight than it is a dance.

She knows the steps intrinsically, and so does he.

This time, she manages to pin him flat to the sand, an ice dagger held at his throat; though only one of his arms is down, and at her temple she can feel a sharp flame moving merrily, close to her skin; though it does not burn her. Eventually, Zuko extinguishes the flame. “Your win. You’re on top”.

She grins, but just as soon feels herself blushing. Beneath her, Zuko’s face has gone beet-red as he seems to contemplate the double entendre behind his words. He starts to sputter, and she rolls off him to the side, staring up at Yue and trying her best to breathe and forget just how _close_ they were.

His body was so _warm_ , and she could feel his muscles, and-

She’s only now getting to know him! Besides, the only boy she’s ever kissed is Jet, and well, that was a lesson she won’t soon forget. She centers herself, and moves to her feet, offering him a hand up.

After a beat, he takes it, and they mutually decide to turn in to bed, now.

Later though, as she tosses and turns, she comes to a decision.

She may not have figured him out yet; but Zuko, she thinks, can probably be called a friend.

  ___________________________________

It has become their new normal. Every two nights, she takes him down to the water and they fight; he teaches her hand-to-hand and they bend against each other until she is sore and aching all over. It’s good, though; he is constantly challenging her to improve. Zuko is patient with her, and she wonders where this new, calmer Zuko came from; or if he was buried underneath the anger and the armor all along.

Three weeks pass after their first spar without incident. Their little group has settled into a routine, that revolves around training Aang, and brainstorming increasingly complicated ideas with which Aang can take down the Firelord. Every time this comes up, Aang has begun to go quiet; never contributing more to the discussion than necessary, or trying to redirect the conversation. She knows he’s nervous; she wishes she could help him face this; but can’t he see that they need to focus, now? The comet is only less than a month away, after all.

It is during one such turn of events that she learns that Zuko cannot (or will not?) sing, and he gets grumpier than a mother polar-leopard when teased about this fact.

Additionally, his father has, yet again, managed to increase his level of awfulness as a person.

Sokka had come up with yet another plan to defeat the Firelord. Predictably, Aang had found a way to distract them; Appa is shedding. Apparently, sky-bison are the sort of animal that shed twice a year; she supposes they ought to be grateful that Azula hasn’t appeared at the front door of the house, with an army of soldiers ready to arrest them all. So, they have all moved to the back of the house, where Appa has been living in his own private backyard (helpfully surrounded by trees), and begun the process of washing and brushing him.

The entire time, though, Zuko has been frowning more heavily than usual.

So, she tries to cheer him up (and maybe also find out what is wrong) by singing an old folk song that Gran-Gran had used to sing, whenever she didn’t want to do chores. Sokka has joined in, rather enthusiastically, and is teaching Suki the lyrics; Aang, ever one for music, has begun to dance, even as he drags the brush through fluffy white hairs. Toph, being Toph, immediately starts to sing the wrong words, off-key, grinning as she does. Even Momo is screeching loudly, as he flies in circles above their heads.

Zuko merely stares at the rest of them in complete silence, so she can’t resist goading him a little. “Come on Zuko! Sing with us!”

He glares at her. “No”.

Sokka turns and blows a handful of fur at the prince, causing him to sputter. “You mean his royal jerk-ness can’t sing?”

Zuko’s face goes red, and she can’t help the grin from taking over her face. Aang whirls to a stop next to the firebender. “Come on, Zuko! Singing is easy, I’ll teach you!”

The older boy shakes his head, again. “Nope”.

Toph sidles up to him. “Come on, Sparky! Even I’m doing it”. The look on the younger girl’s face screams trouble, and Zuko seems to realize this, moving closer towards Appa.

“I can sing! I just don’t want to”.

“I can tell you’re lying!” Toph is outright grinning, now, and as if to further his humiliation, Appa proceeds to lick the prince from head to toe; Zuko barely seems to notice, though.

“It’s not a lie! I know how to sing, I’m just not good at it. And I prefer playing music, anyways”. Everyone goes quiet as they stare at him. Zuko seems to realize what he’s just said, and tries to move away, but he’s already backed himself against Appa.

This is, yet again, another revelation of Zuko’s that reshapes her worldview of him. She moves from where she’s been bending water against the bison’s back, and goes to face him on the other side, pointing accusingly. “You can play an instrument?!”

The prince groans, and runs a hand through his hair. “My mother put me in tsungi horn lessons when I was little. Music is considered a traditional part of a royal education”.

Aang comes next to her, and the five of them are now moving to corner Zuko against Appa, who’s offering no help to the clearly ruffled prince. The airbender grins at the older boy. “You have to play for us sometime, Zuko!”

“No!” The firebender tries to skirt around them, but he’s trapped, and now Aang is relentless.

“Come on, Sifu Hotman! I bet you’re really good”.

“Stop calling- we have other things to worry about! Besides, there isn’t a tsungi horn in the house, so that’s that.”

“I can go buy one in town!”

“Not if I don’t give you any money!”

“But-”

“No buts!” Zuko seems to finally lose his temper, pushing past Aang and turning to pace in a circle in front of them. “Seriously, Aang, there’s no time for that. Agni, there’s barely even time for this!” Appa grumbles, and the prince pauses to pet the bison, but continues his rant. “Sorry, Appa. But the comet is only two weeks away, and you keep slacking off!”

_So that’s why he’s upset_. She feels herself go still, and instinctively turns to look at Aang, who has also gone quiet. The airbender shuffles his feet. “About that…”

They all turn to look at Aang. The boy takes a deep breath, and continues. “I’ve been thinking that maybe I should just wait to fight the Firelord until after the comet.”

She frowns. “Aang-”

“No, Katara, think about it!” Wide grey eyes stare into her own, and she feels herself softening, in the way that she can never properly say no to Aang. “I’m not ready. Toph always says my earthbending needs more work, and I know I’m not nearly good enough in firebending”.

Next to her, Sokka strokes his chin. “Isn’t that a little risky?”

Aang nods. “I know! But isn’t it better to wait till I’m ready, rather than have a repeat of the eclipse?”

Suki is shaking her head. “Are you sure about this, Aang?”

The younger boy nods, and she starts turning the possibilities over in her mind. It’s not _completely_ illogical, she guesses, and Aang looks desperate. She feels the urge to help him. “I mean, I guess the Firelord did technically win the war when he took Ba Sing Se. How much worse could it get?”

“You’re wrong”. Zuko’s low, raspy voice permeates the stillness, from where he’s moved to sit against Appa’s flank. “It’s about to get a whole lot worse than you could imagine”.

She frowns, but his voice is serious. They all take a seat in a circle. Zuko, apologizing profusely, tells them of a _horrible_ plan; burn the Earth Kingdom? Who would even think such a thing? She feels her chest getting tight; tries to swallow back tears. How did it come to this?

The prince looks at his feet as he finishes. “I should have told you all sooner. I’m sorry I didn’t. I was scared, and I didn’t want you to know how much of a monster my fath- the Firelord is”. His voice breaks a little, and she feels the sudden urge to hug him. “But Aang, if you don’t defeat the Firelord before the comet, then there really will be nothing left to save”.

No one speaks for a while, after that.

  ___________________________________

Later that night, she learns that Zuko is also surprisingly calming, when he wants to be. It is after dinner, a simple fare of boiled sweet potatoes, and the silence has prevailed.

Eventually, Sokka breaks it. “Zuko, how do we stop him?”

The prince shakes his head. “I don’t know. I know that they’ll be using these new flying balloons, to scorch the earth from above. I know Ozai will lead the ships himself, and he’s vain enough that he won’t have changed any of his plans, even knowing that I know them”.

Her brother nods, and she can’t help but be grateful for his brilliant brain, at a time when they’re all down. “I know how those balloons work! I helped design them! I’m sure I can un-design them too”. He begins to draw up specs, pointing out weaknesses in the balloons to Suki. Aang is quietly spinning an air-ball for Momo, looking lost, and she wonders if she ought to go comfort him. But, Zuko uncurls himself from where Toph has taken up residence in his lap, ruffling her on the head, before quietly announcing that he’s going to do the dishes now.

She hesitates, looking back at the rest, at Aang’s sad grey eyes, before turning to follow the prince into the kitchen.

In silence, they wash for a while; she scrubs, while he dries, occasionally trading off. She doesn’t know quite what to say to him, and he is still lost in his thoughts, far away in whatever has been plaguing him. But the quiet is broken when hesitant footsteps sound at the doorway, and Aang’s face appears. “Zuko, can I talk to you?”

She realizes that she should leave; but she can’t help it, she wants to hear this. Neither of the boys appear inclined to kick her out, though, so she stays. The prince looks at the younger boy. “Sure. What is it?”

Aang takes a deep breath. “Do you want me to kill your father?”

She can barely breathe over the heaviness that has descended over the kitchen. Nobody moves, for a few seconds, before Zuko pinches his forehead. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t really matter what I think, does it? You have to do it”.

Aang frowns. “How can you not know?”

“Because he’s my father!” The answer explodes out of Zuko as he accidentally sets a nearby plant on fire; swearing, the prince puts it out. “He’s a monster. He can’t be allowed to continue. It’s not that I want him dead, it’s just…Aang, there isn’t another way”.

The airbender shakes his head. “I refuse to believe that! There must be another way. Killing is wrong”.

The prince huffs out a puff of smoke, and she can tell he’s getting more than a little annoyed. “What do you want to do, then?”

“I don’t know”. The boy almost whispers it, and her heart aches for him. It’s a terrible thing, to place on a twelve-year-old boy; Aang is the youngest of all of them, save Toph, and he certainly acts the youngest. “I can’t just forget everything that my people taught me”.

She can’t stay quiet anymore. She doesn’t want to have to do this, but Aang has always listened to her, and as much as she hates their position, Zuko is right. “Aang, no one’s asking you to forget the Air Nomads. We’re just asking you to think of the world, too.”

“I am thinking of the world!” The airbender’s face contorts, as though he might cry, and gusts of wind start to blow through the kitchen, knocking over loose items. She moves towards him, but Zuko gets there first, and puts his hands on the airbender’s shoulders. It stops her in her tracks, for a moment; never has she seen Zuko give anyone a hug before. “Aang. Breathe”.

The younger boy draws in a heaving gasp, and the winds die down.

“That’s better”. Zuko moves back, but remains close to the airbender. “Look, Aang, whatever happens, we’ll be here to fight with you, alright? But it’s been a long day. Maybe you should get some rest now.”

Aang looks at her, and she moves now, drawing him into a hug. The airbender sniffles something into her shoulder, before looking at Zuko. “Thanks, Sifu Hotman”. For once, Zuko doesn’t protest the title, and Aang leaves them in silence.

She doesn’t even have to look at Zuko; she can feel him following behind her to the beach.

  ___________________________________

Afterwards, they lay on the sand panting; and she finds out that Zuko is also a good listener.

She’s gotten better at hand-to-hand, to the point where she landed several hits on him during their fight, though she still hasn’t managed to beat him. Their bending, as always, remains equal. She thinks that this time between them has increasingly become less about teaching, and more about simply spending time with Zuko. There are quiet moments like these, where he understands her better than anyone else, and she feels the beginning of something undefined in her chest, that she doesn’t quite know how to name.

Eventually, she rolls onto her side and turns to face him, bringing up the koala-elephant in the air. “Why would your father do that?”

“I don’t know”. He’s staring straight up at the sky, refusing to look at her. “I think he might just be insane”.

She sputters at this; the questions rolling in her mind need an outlet, now, and she can’t help herself, and sits up. “Insane? Of course, he’s insane! What kind of sane person burns an _entire country_ to the ground! Better yet, what kind of sane _country_ puts a guy like that on the throne!”

He stiffens, but still doesn’t speak, and now the words refuse to stop pouring out of her.

“Look at what he’s done! Look at what his daughter’s done! My people are _dying out_! Your entire family, your entire country is messed up, Zuko!”

“I know!” The words wrench their way out of him, and he abruptly sits up. “I know. I’m sorry”.

She pauses then, and really looks at him. He’s tense, and staring fixedly up at the sky, but she can almost feel the guilt pouring off him in waves. Her anger cools then, and she lets out a sigh. “Stop apologizing. You’ve apologized enough”.

“No, I haven’t”. He looks at his feet, then. “It will never be enough”.

She frowns, at that. “We’ve all forgiven you, you know. You’ve worked really hard to make amends”. She hesitates, then, thinking back on her harshness towards him at the temple, her fury that he’d hardly fought against, and an uncomfortable feeling uncoils itself in her gut. “I didn’t make it easy on you. But you’re one of us, now. And it wasn’t fair for me to lay all the blame for your father and your country on you”.

He sighs, then, and finally turns to face her. “My country is… sick, but the people are good at heart, and if Aang wins, we can make it better. A lot of them don’t _want_ to be fighting the war; conscription is mandatory, because during my grandfather’s time no one wanted to enlist”. She can tell he’s dodging the question of his own guilt, but chooses to let it be, for now. “If we stop the war, put someone like my uncle on the throne, I think they might even be relieved. Everyone’s lost someone, these days”.

She thinks back, on that. “Your cousin?”

“Yeah”. He looks abruptly uncomfortable again, so with some effort, she doesn’t prod, and thinks instead of her own family, her mother, her people who have barely survived. Suddenly, she is so _tired_ , and with her anger gone, all she can feel is sadness.

“I don’t want to be doing this”. To her horror, she feels a sob wrenching its way out of her throat; how many times will she cry in front of this boy? Why does Zuko always manage to make her _feel_ so much, simply by default of his presence? She tries to wipe the tears away, flopping back down into the sand. “I don’t want any of us to be doing this”.

Zuko hesitates; the last time she cried, after Yon Rah, he held her; but then, she’d sort of fell on him that time, barely able to hold herself up. This time, though, he lays next to her, and slowly, his hand reaches into the space between them, nudging her knuckles.

She stops wiping at her eyes and looks at him. Golden eyes stare back, even though he doesn’t say anything; again, she feels the understanding between them. She moves her fingers and takes his hand.

His grip is warm, and suddenly she wants _more_ , wants his heat and his strength to fill up the cold, hurting place inside of her that wants to scream and rage at the world at the unfairness of it all- _I’m only fifteen!_ –and she can’t help herself. Maybe they’re just friends, now, maybe there’s something _more_ , but she shuffles herself until she’s lying right next to him, pressed up until there’s no more space.

Part of her feels that this should be uncomfortable, but it isn’t- she tucks her head close under his chin; his hand moves, and brings their clasped hands up until they’re resting on his chest.

They stay like that, for the rest of the night; she thinks she falls asleep, at some point. In the morning, they brush themselves off, and they go to make breakfast for their family, together.

  ___________________________________

Five days after Zuko’s revelation, Sokka seems to relent a little in his obsessive planning.

And she learns that Zuko is covered in more scars than she realized.

Again, she has slept late; it seems to be a bad habit, on Ember Island. Perhaps the tranquility of the island is lulling her into a false sense of security, or maybe it’s just the heat. She spends a good half hour in bed, bending an ice-block to her forehead, before deciding that it is finally time to get up.

She makes her way to the kitchen and takes a mango, before moving outside to the courtyard, where she can hear grunting, crackling, and hisses. Firebending training, then. Toph is sitting on the steps and she joins the younger girl, focusing her attention on the scene in front of her.

Zuko and Aang are moving in a perfectly synchronized harmony, kicks and punches surrounded by strangely beautiful flames. But the thing that arrests her attention isn’t their movements; in the sweltering heat, both boys have gone shirtless.

She’s seen Aang shirtless multiple times; and she notes again, with some satisfaction, that his lightning wound has perfectly healed, even though it isn’t faded. But it’s Zuko that she can’t stop watching.

His body is lean, muscled; and well, of course she had known before, that he was strong, but seeing all that power in action is another matter entirely. She feels something stir inside of her; but chalks the blush up to the heat, even though her heartrate has suddenly skyrocketed for reasons she refuses to think about. If Gran-Gran were here, she’d likely get smacked upside the head. But even as she notices the finely-honed lines of his body (so much _skin_ ) she can’t help but notice the scars.

There is the obvious one, on his face of course; but other paler lines find their way across him. There is a slice, across his chest, and a scattered series of reddened circles on his lower left hip, _the same size as cigar-buts_ , some slightly sickened part of her notes. But it is his back that stands out; faded pink lines form a random crisscross pattern; they are not raised, but the skin is shiny, dangerously like the scarred half of his face. They look almost like burns- _fire whips_ –her mind whispers, and she pauses for a moment.

She hasn’t ever thought much of the scar on his face; at first, it was simply something that made him seem even crueler, angrier. It stood out, certainly, but other than the initial shock, she had ignored it. Now though, it is just another part of what makes him Zuko; she can’t quite picture him without it. She’d figured, at most, that it was a training accident; he is a firebender, after all. But the revelation of the other marks on his skin begin to paint a different picture. Some of those scars look _deliberate_ – but he’s a prince. Who could possibly harm a prince like that?

Even as she watches his face, she tries to take in the whole image. He doesn’t seem to notice her staring; his gaze is focused, intense. As he moves, he shouts instructions to Aang, who copies him, if a little hesitantly. She wants to know more, wants to shake him right now and ask-  _who did this to you? What happened?_   Maybe it still is not her place to wonder, but now she is bursting with so many questions about Zuko that she almost feels a little desperate, for answers.

The boys conclude their practice and she stands; intending to drag him away where she can interrogate him (gently of course), because her curiosity has reached a new peak (and she’s also a little worried, now). But before she can move, her brother and Suki burst into the courtyard, waving around yet another piece of paper.

It is something to do with a play; she protests – _isn’t this dangerous?_ But Sokka persists, and Aang and Toph look gleeful, so she relents. Zuko rolls his eyes and she remembers her initial mission- but the prince pulls on his tunic. She supposes, then, that it can wait until after the play; after all, a story about them does seem as if it may be mildly interesting.

  ___________________________________

Her anger over Aang kissing her is almost immediately overshadowed by her horror that Zuko’s father truly is a monster.

She’d stomped back to her seat in a huff; angry that Aang had kissed her, again, without asking. Angry that the airbender seemed to expect her to jump into a relationship with him. Hurt as well, that her best friend couldn’t seem to understand that she was confused- they are in a war! There is no time, for romance like this and well…she just doesn’t think she likes Aang in that way. She loves him, certainly, but it just doesn’t feel right, kissing him, and she’s confused, and barely able to register Zuko’s questioning glance beside her.

But the Ember Island players have resumed their story; and their next scene has Zuko stiffening next to her.

The third act opens with Actor Zuko being welcomed back into the Fire Nation; but then, Actor Azula comes out and hugs her brother, loudly proclaiming that she’s _so proud of you, my brother, for you have overcome your shame_!

The scene changes, and then there is what must be a young Actor Zuko, scar-less, surrounded by actors dressed as old men and his father. Actor Azula begins to narrate, and oh-

She can barely focus as the crowd around her gasps, and laughs; at one point they even boo, she thinks. But all she can see is the child actor, _writhing on the ground as flames roar towards his face_. The crowd goes silent, but all she can hear is _banished, Avatar, honor._

Next to her, Zuko abruptly stands and leaves, knuckles clenched in a death-grip.

She chances a look at the others. Everyone else is quiet; she thinks that Toph’ sightless eyes look suspiciously shiny, and Aang (her heart lurches) looks terrified. Below her, she is vaguely aware of the scene changing again, but she cannot remain still, anymore; she runs after the firebender.

She finds Zuko on the same balcony where Aang confronted her earlier; she pushes through those feelings. He is staring up at the full moon, and his hands are gripping the railing as though he’d very much like to shatter it. She stands beside him, and for a very long moment, neither of them says anything.

Eventually, Zuko breaks the silence. “Don’t ask”.

“Okay”. She is still having difficulty processing; she can’t possibly imagine what it must be like for him. Her mind is spinning- _how much of that was real? What happened to you? Are you okay?_ –but she does not want to say anything right now, that will cause Zuko to go over the edge.

“I don’t like talking about it”.

“Understandable”.

“I’ll- I’ll tell you later. All of you”. She moves to look at him, then. “You should- you deserve to know”.

“Zuko, you don’t have to”.

“I don’t want to. But you should know”. She nods, and stops holding back; she enfolds him in a hug, holding him as tightly as possible. Whatever his story is, she will be here for him. He is part of her family now, her friend- even though the word seems to fit less, recently, and he needs her now. He freezes in her grip, but almost hesitantly, his arms come up around her and he buries his face in her neck; she thinks she hears a muffled sob, but she isn’t sure.

“Do you want to go back?” He seems to shake himself, and steps back, nodding. His scar is shadowed in the moonlight, but she forces herself not to stare, and grabs his hand instead. “The others can follow us when they’re ready”.

She does not let go of his hand, and they leave the theatre together.

  ___________________________________

When the others arrive back from the play, later that night, the silence is palpable. They have gathered in the living area. Sokka informs them that apparently, the play ended with all of them dead; she chances a look at Aang, who is paler than normal. She would go to comfort him, but now is not the time; and besides, underneath her questions, her horror, she is still angry.

But this is not currently about her.

Zuko does not seem surprised at the play’s end. Rather, he starts to tell them, rather hesitantly, a terrible tale of a boy; a boy who tried to stand up for condemned men; a boy who was horribly burned and banished, cursed to chase a phantom legend.

He speaks as little as possible; he clearly wants to get this over with, and he does not bother to elaborate any more than necessary. But even so, aside from his story, she learns something else about him; he is stronger than she had ever thought.

A lot more things about him suddenly make sense now; his past actions are not excusable; but she gains much more clarity, and her heart aches for him.

Ozai is a monster, and if Aang will not kill him, maybe she will do it herself.

When he is done, she throws caution to the wind, and hugs him again. He doesn’t move away; in fact, it is as if some of the tension leaves his body. Around her, the others follow; Toph jumps in his lap, Sokka and Suki come up behind him, Aang piles on top of them all. They stay like that, nobody wanting to move. Eventually, she is aware of herself growing tired, of her eyes creeping shut.

That night, nobody sleeps alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes about this chapter:
> 
> I made Zuko better with swords, than Sokka. In all honesty, I think that Sokka's probably a sword-fighting prodigy, but then so is Zuko, and Zuko's been doing this for longer, in my head canon . So by my logic, Zuko's probably a tad bit better (he's the Blue Spirit, after all), but of course he's helping his newfound-brother improve. 
> 
> Following the same logic as above, I thought it would be rather nice for Zuko to train Katara a little in fighting, as a good bonding-experience. Katara's an amazing bender, and I'm pretty sure she's a prodigy to have become a master so fast, but then, she's never been trained in any other form of combat, you know? It's doubtful that anyone has taught her hand-to-hand, or weapons (at least to me) so I played around with that idea here, a bit. 
> 
> Yes, I aged Katara up to fifteen, though everyone else remains the same. Mostly because it worked better for me in this context, if she was fifteen, rather than fourteen. To justify it, I'm just going to shrug and say that well, the entire show takes place over what, ten months? There are six of them- I refuse to believe that nobody had a birthday at all, during that period, so...yup.
> 
> I threw in a (tiny) tangled reference, because I couldn't help it (I love that movie to death). 
> 
> Random aside, the inclusion of chenet. It is a real fruit, tropical to be precise (so it fits my idea of the Fire Nation climate), and I love it so...that's why I threw it in here. It does have a multitude of different names, but that's just what I grew up calling it.
> 
> Edit: I didn't know this, but apparently it's canon in the comics that Zuko is, actually, the better sword fighter than Sokka. (I've never read all of the comics). So, ignore the first note above, and my apologies for any confusion that may cause anyone.


	2. (i'm falling) for your eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title is from "Kiss Me", by Ed Sheeran.

The following day, after the play, Sokka’s energy seems to have been renewed; he is more determined than ever to defeat Ozai, and she shares his vigor. There is an increased drive among them, a sense of the ticking deadline that looms. Sozin’s comet is, after all, only about a week away now. Her brother has come up with yet another plan to defeat the Firelord; one where they all work together before the ships even take off, the day before the comet.

He is eager to practice it, so Zuko takes them all out behind the house, behind Appa’s field, to a narrow cliff-side overlooking the sea. Her brother outlines his plan in the ground; with Toph standing in as Firelord Ozai’s troops and a melon as the monster himself, they will practice their assault. She ends up placed on an attack team with Zuko, and she can’t stop herself from smiling at his determined look.

Their team name could use some work, though- _Liquidy-hot? Really, Sokka?_

Her brother calls start, and they launch into action. At her back, she does not have to look to know that Zuko is moving in perfect tandem with her, and with this comes the realization that she trusts him completely.

It has been creeping up on her for a while; of course, she had given him her trust before, but that was in more of an I-trust-that-you’ve-changed-this-time way, rather than the undefinable warmth that now spreads through her. She knows that he has her back, her personally. This feels somewhat like their nightly spars; it is a dance, and she knows he will catch her if she stumbles.

They cut through Toph’s flaming rock forces, unstoppable. The path is cleared, and she is confident; but just as he is about to deliver the final blow, Aang stops.

The airbender starts mumbling about the wrongness of killing, and she wants to scream. This is not murder! This is justice, for all the lives that Ozai has ruined. Can Aang not see that his stubborn refusal is doing more harm than good? Zuko is tense at her side, and even Toph is frowning; but it is Sokka who stops the younger boy. Her brother walks towards his homemade figure of the Firelord, and slices the melon in half.

Later at dinner, that night, the mood is still somber. Thinking to ease the tension, she rummages around the house for something fun, and finds a painting of an adorable royal baby in the attic. It must be Zuko- look at his smile! When she shows it off, however, Zuko tells her in a deadpan voice that it is Ozai; she almost throws the thing into the ocean.

Well, that certainly didn’t help.

Aang seems to take this as his cue to espouse the virtues of not killing the Firelord, coming up with ideas that she knows won’t be good. Sure enough, Zuko loses his temper, and her brother also looks close to the breaking point. Aang gets mad, then, and she tries to calm him- can’t he see that they are only trying to help? But he yells at her, and she stands shocked for a moment; Aang has never yelled at her before.

In her motionless state, Aang turns and predictably, runs. She shakes herself- go after him! But there is a warmth at her shoulder, and Zuko is looking down at her. “Let him go”.

She feels herself wavering. “But-”

“He needs to cool off. He’ll come back when he’s ready”. His golden eyes are calming, and she nods, letting herself relax into his hold.

She knows that out of everyone, Zuko understands her frustrations the best.

 ___________________________________

The next morning, however, there is panic; there are five days left until Sozin’s comet, and Aang (and Momo) are nowhere to be found.

Immediately, they split into search groups; Zuko goes with Toph into the nearby forest and the beach, Sokka and Suki go to town, and she takes Appa, to fly as low as possible while bending a cloud-cover. As she goes, she cannot stop her mind from racing. _Where is he? Why has he been gone so long? How could he leave us like this? Yue, please let him be okay._

But she finds nothing, and when she arrives back at the beach house she knows that none of the others have located anything, either. Everyone’s faces are grim, and she feels the urge to scream rising in her throat. In less than a week, the world as they know it will end. How could Aang leave- _leave_ –them like that? Her mind traitorously whispers that  _he’s run away_ before but she squashes it down. He will come back. He must. In the meantime, they will have to think of alternative plans.

Almost instinctively, she looks to Zuko. Somehow, without her noticing, he has become her go-to source for comfort, over the past few weeks; her confidant, her family (and in the moments, that she refuses to admit to herself, maybe something more than that). The fire prince is standing on the steps of the house, staring into the distance; but he feels her stare, and the eyes of everyone else around him. “Why are you all looking at me like that?”

She shrugs. “You do kind of have a lot of Avatar-hunting experience”. His face darkens, but she holds his gaze; right now, she does not mean it as a bad thing. They have no other options.

He frowns, thinking; a furrow crosses his brow before his eyes clear. “I have an idea. But it’s in the Earth Kingdom. We need to leave right now”.

No one argues, not even her brother. Sokka seems to be in the state of panic that she feels herself rapidly approaching. The Earth Kingdom is at least a day’s flight away. But she moves to help pack their few belongings; they cannot second-guess, now.

She gives her room with the beautiful ocean view one last goodbye, before moving outside. Everyone is waiting for her on Appa. Zuko extends a hand to her, from where he sits in the driving position; she accepts it, and they take to the air, leaving Ember Island behind.

 ___________________________________

Well, now she knows that Zuko can (and does) curse like a sailor if sufficiently embarrassed .

Meeting June at the bar has been…an experience.

They aren’t dating! They cannot be dating, there is a war going on, a countdown to the end of the world! And she doesn’t have time to analyze her emotions, what with everything else going on. Zuko is her _friend_ , and she can’t think about the warm, undefined _thing_ that has been brewing in the center of her chest. Zuko had clearly agreed with her, because he’d started giving off intense heat waves from his skin (the tavern manager had almost kicked them out), and hasn’t looked at her properly since, even as they fly now on Appa, following June and her shirshu below.

Strangely enough, the news that Aang apparently no longer exists isn’t even at the forefront of her mind right now. It probably means that he is somehow in the Spirit World, which must be a good thing, right? She is still furious at him, but it will have to wait. All she wants at this moment is to find Zuko’s Uncle, so that he can help them with this mess.

(She makes sure to ignore Toph’s snickering behind her in the saddle).

 ___________________________________

“My cousin died at the siege of Ba Sing Se”.

The whispered words startle her from where she has been curled up on Appa’s flank, unable to sleep. June dropped them off an hour ago outside Ba Sing Se, claiming that Uncle (she’s realizing that she doesn’t know his name) was somewhere beyond the walls.

She focuses on Zuko, who is laying across from her; his eyes are downcast, even though their golden color is the brightest thing that she can see under the moonlight. She reaches out her hand; tentatively, his fingers curl around her own, and he continues. “You asked, earlier. My uncle was besieging the city, but my cousin, his son, died in the fighting. Uncle has never been the same since”.

She tightens her hand. “I’m sorry”. The words are not the empty platitudes they so often are; she doesn’t know this cousin, but Zuko clearly loved him, and she can feel his pain.

“Uncle…took care of me, after that. He told me once that he thought of me as if I was his own son. And I stabbed him in the back”. His voice breaks. “How can I face him now?”

She realizes that he must mean what happened at Ba Sing Se; she remembers that the older man had helped them to escape, during the fighting. But strangely, for the first time, the mention of the crystal caverns doesn’t make her angry, or sad. She moves closer to him, until there is barely an inch of space between them. “You’re sorry, right?”

His eyes flash towards her, at that. “Sorrier than I’ve ever been for anything”.

“Then he’ll forgive you”. She reaches her other hand out to him; he does too, until they are lying like mirror images of each other. “Your uncle clearly loves you. He’s stuck with you for a long time”.

He doesn’t smile, not quite, but his voice sounds lighter. “Thank you, Katara”.

She doesn’t want to break the quiet comfort that has now descended upon them, so she stays quiet, watching him. He is watching her too, neither of them moving, barely breathing. It is a more intimate setting than she’s ever been in, and were it not for the gravity of the moment, she knows she’d probably be blushing.

In the next moment, flames suddenly erupt around their little camp. They spring apart, and there is panic, before she realizes it is simply their old masters; and the moment is lost, lost in the joy of reunions, relief that they have finally found help; relief that maybe now, they can come up with a proper plan.

But later, when she sees Zuko again wavering outside of his uncle’s tent at their campground she goes to him and places a hand on his shoulder. He touches her wrist, before walking in the tent and she smiles after him, feeling strangely proud.

 ___________________________________

The news that Zuko will be the next Firelord does not shock her half as much as it seems to shock him.

He had expected that it would be Uncle Iroh (his name is Iroh!) on the throne, she knows, but she also knows that Zuko will be a good ruler. He has changed so much, become better in the time that she’s known him. Granted, he is young, but surely people will be able to see the goodness in him, right? Even as he sits across from her, trying to grasp the concept, she has already accepted it. Eventually, he seems to calm himself and his spine straightens as he nods at his uncle.

She can tell he is still not completely on board, but with time, she thinks, it will be okay.

In the meantime, they have a viable plan now; after a whirlwind of movement, she finds herself hugging her brother goodbye.

They have never been apart, not really; for as long as she can remember Sokka has always been there. Leaving him to go fight Azula, while he goes to take down Ozai’s warships is painful; but she must trust him, trust that he will be alright. He grins at her as he pulls away, if a little weakly, and she can’t help but smile back. “Be careful, Sokka”.

“I’m always careful, sis”. She goes to hug Suki as well, and Toph grasping them both tightly; they are the sisters that she never got to have, and she can’t bear the thought of losing them as they go with her brother.

Finally, she steps back, and looks at Zuko, who is hugging his uncle as well, listening to words from the elderly general that she can’t quite make out. He turns and makes his way towards them. Even though she is going with him, she can’t help it; she hugs him too. Soon Toph joins in, curling herself around Zuko’s waist; he pats her head and bends to whisper something in her ear that has the younger girl sniffling, just a little. Sokka comes too, and Suki, and they are all eventually piled on top of each other in a group hug, nobody wanting to let go.

But let go they must; for she has not forgotten the person that brought them together, who is conspicuously missing; the reason that they are all headed off now, children to fight in a war that never should have been theirs.

Zuko snaps Appa's reigns, and they are off.

 ___________________________________

Sozin’s comet appears over the horizon, as they fly across the ocean towards Caldera City, towards the future of their world. For such a dreaded event, it is strangely beautiful; painting the sky in deep hues of red and pink and orange. Across from her, though, Zuko stiffens suddenly, as if he’s been shot with energy.

She scrambles closer to him, moving from the saddle towards Appa’s head where he sits, frozen. She runs her hands over his arm. His skin is uncomfortably hot, and she almost snatches her hand back. But something about her touch seems to snap him out of whatever daze he is in, and he begins to breathe normally again. She can’t help it though; she is worried. “Zuko?”

“Sorry”. His eyes turn to face her, and his skin begins to cool fractionally. “It’s just… the comet. I can _feel_ it. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before”.

She nods, and sits back. “What’s it like?”

“So much energy”. He shakes his head. “So much raw power, coursing through me. I feel as though I could fight an army, right now”.

She offers up a weak smile. “You’ll probably need it, if we’re going to fight Azula”.

“If I’m feeling like this, she will be too, though”. She feels her heart skip a beat at the reminder, but his face doesn’t change. “But, I know we can take her together. Azula isn’t what I’m worried about right now, anyways”.

She scoots closer, and he turns completely towards her, patting Appa’s head; the bison lets out a groan. “What is it?”

“I’m worried about Aang”. Her stomach drops again, at the thought. She herself is overwhelmingly terrified, angry, confused, and worried. Aang is her best friend; she loves him, even if she thinks that she doesn’t _love_ him (her heart gives a lurch at the reminder of the kiss). “What if he doesn’t come back in time? What if he doesn’t have the guts to face my father?”

“Aang will come back”. She must believe this; there is no other acceptable option. Even she can hear the waver in her voice, though. “He’ll come back, and he’ll win”.

Zuko doesn’t call her out on the tremor in her voice, but instead leans back on his hands, sighing. “I’m worried about everyone else, too, and…I’m worried about what comes after. We’ve been fighting for so long, it feels like”. He looks down, and here his voice cracks. “Katara, I don’t know how to rule a country”.

She reaches out her hands and he takes them without hesitation. “You’ll be alright. I believe in you, Zuko. Your uncle does too, and all of us”.

He smiles at her, gently, but his face soon darkens again. “And… what if we don’t make it that far?”

She looks down, then. “Whatever happens, we’ve come too far to give up now. Aang will come back”. He nods, decisively, and they sit in silence for the rest of the flight. Eventually, Zuko turns back around to steer; but he doesn’t let go of her hand, and she grasps his just as tightly.

 ___________________________________

Zuko’s sister is clearly insane.

Before, she had simply seemed evil, in a rather cold, calculating way. Now though, something inside of the perfect princess is broken; she talks to the air around her, and her appearance is scattered, flawed in a way it’s never been. They stand facing her in the courtyard of the royal palace, and despite her hatred of the girl, something inside of her almost feels sorry for the firebending princess.

Madness must be a genetic trait, however, because Zuko is insisting that he’ll fight her alone.

She stares at him. “No! Are you crazy?”

He looks at her; his eyes are sad, but they hold a sureness that gives her pause. “There’s something off about her. I can’t explain it, but this way, no one else has to get hurt”.

There are too many things that she wants to say- _I can’t let you do this alone. Don’t leave me behind! When you fought your father in one of these things, he burned half your face off! Look at what she did to Aang’s back; I refuse to let you do this! I can’t watch you get hurt, not because you’re protecting me._

But she doesn’t speak any of it; instead she grasps his arm. She should trust him, after all; he knows Azula better than her. “Come back to me. Promise?” She knows that her voice holds the thousand things that she cannot say, the warmth that she still can’t name, but she is desperate.

He seems to read her fine though; briefly, he bends his forehead to press against hers. “Be safe, Katara”.

She wants to scream- _that’s not what I want!_ –but nods sharply. She takes Appa, and urges him to fly over the castle walls to a garden, where he will be safe. Across from her, in the courtyard, she sees the Fire Sages moving indoors towards the palace doors, where they can watch from a safe distance. Her instinct tells her to do something similar; she takes residence behind a nearby pillar, where she can be close enough to watch.

She knows that Zuko is strong; but she won’t let him be alone, for this.

___________________________________ 

She can’t breathe.

There are tears streaming down her face; she is tired from her sudden fight with the princess, and behind her, she can vaguely register that Azula is screaming in her bonds; but she can’t _think_ about what just happened, about the fact that she beat the firebending prodigy.  All she can focus on is the still form of the boy lying in front of her. Desperately, she runs her water over the _horrible, gaping, hole_ in his chest, where she can smell _burned meat._

There is no spirit water this time, either.

This wasn’t supposed to happen- this _cannot_ be happening; _why would you take lightning for me?_

His eyes open, and he coughs, blood spurting everywhere. She smiles gratefully; he is alive for now, at least. He focuses on her. “Thank you, Katara”.

“I think I’m the one who should be thanking you”. She wants to hug him, but can’t; everything she learned from Yugoda is screaming at her that he needs a doctor, _now_. But they cannot stay here. The Fire Sages seem to have fled; they are no longer in the doorway, but she does not for a second believe that she can trust the stillness.

It pains her to move him; but she must; she half-drags him to his feet. He wavers, staring at Azula’s chained, crying form with an expression that she cannot decipher. She wishes she could give him more time, but she can’t; they are not out of the danger zone, yet. “Zuko, we need to get inside. Where can we go that’s safe?”

“My- my room”. He bends over suddenly, coughing blood again, and she resists the urge to scream. “The residential wings aren’t too far- go right”.

She grits her teeth, and they begin to move. Zuko gives her weak directions, and she keeps an eye out for enemies; but oddly enough, the palace appears to be mostly deserted- shouldn’t there be servants? But she can’t worry about that now. Zuko seems to have used up most of his strength just from standing; by the time they reach what must be the housing wing, his eyes are practically closed, and she is supporting most of his weight. He barely lasts long enough to point out a room close to the end, and she drags him inside, lifting him on top of the bed.

He is completely passed out now, and she takes a second to barricade the door with an ice wall from the last of her bending water-she doesn’t trust the empty palace anymore than the deserted courtyard -before rushing back to him. Desperately, she turns him on his back, and tries to feel his pulse.

It is getting weaker.

Frantically, she looks around her- there! An adjacent bathing-room. _Yue!_ – there is no immediate water, and she doesn’t know how to work the strange tap-pulley-system. She runs to the window; his room overlooks a garden of some sort. She summons her bending and _pulls_ , ripping all the water out of a nearby fruit tree, and some flowers below. Hastily, she rushes back to his side, and gloves his chest in water, feeling for the damage.

It is worse than anything she’s ever seen. Muscles are frayed, several of his ribs are completely shattered, and she is certain that his heart, however weakly it is beating, is damaged as well. She doesn’t- she doesn’t know if she can fix this.

Not with water, anyways, not with what little Yugoda taught her, and his pulse is still getting weaker; she can feel the struggle for his heart.

Her mind races. _How could you do this! Why would you do this! I can’t lose you- I can’t, I won’t! I’m sorry I stepped out from the pillar- Yue, forgive me- I’m sorry!_ But in her panic, she stares at the water she’d ripped out of the trees; and she remembers.

She’d sworn she’d never do this, again.

She can’t.

But in that moment, his heart _stops_ \- she feels it stutter, and she doesn’t have a choice. She lets the water in her hold go, reaches for his blood, and _pushes_.

She can feel her own heart, beating in her chest. She’s not certain what to do, so she goes off instinct; when her heart beats, she forces his to move as well, desperately praying to Yue, Agni, all the spirits as she does. She doesn’t know how much time passes, as she does; if an assassin had walked through the door at that moment, she isn’t sure that she would have the strength to fight; she is tired to her bones, but completely focused on the push, the pull, every struggling beat of his heart and her own.

Before she collapses from fatigue, she vaguely registers that the comet has disappeared; outside the window, there is the vague blush of dawn.

___________________________________ 

It is the pounding on the door that wakes her up; she bolts into a standing position from where she’d been lying next to Zuko. She glances him over- but he appears to still be breathing, even though he clearly hasn’t woken once. She reaches for the water lying haphazardly around the room where she’d dropped it. At first, she isn’t sure how much time has passed, but a glance at the window tells her the sun is only now rising.

She does the math; it’s been at least a day, then, since she fell asleep. Yue must have been watching over her, because her ice wall is still intact.

The banging on the door resumes and she assumes a fighting stance; but then she hears the voices. “Sweetness! I can feel you in there! Open up!”

Toph.

She yanks the ice away from the door, and is immediately rushed by everyone; Toph, Suki, Sokka, and she even sees Aang, in the background. She can’t speak as they surround her; crying into her brother’s shoulder- _they’re alive, and she isn’t alone anymore_. But then Toph’s voice interrupts, smaller than she’s ever heard it before. “Zuko?”

She scrubs her face, and they all turn towards the bed where the prince still lies, unconscious. There are a series of gasps from her family, and they all begin to run towards the bed. She reaches first, and smooths a hand over his hair (which has become plastered to his forehead) as they surround her, waiting for an answer. “He got struck by lightning. I don’t…I don’t know if he’ll be okay”.

It pains her to admit it; but it is the truth; she doesn’t _know_ anymore.

Her brother moves closer to her side; she registers that he is limping, supported by Suki, and she moves him so that he can sit at the edge of the bed, and she sits next to him. “Katara. What happened? We passed Azula, in the courtyard, on our way in”.

“Zuko, he-” and she stops, unable to stem the tears. “He-”

“It’s okay”. Her brother hugs her. “You don’t have to-”

“He won”. That’s all she can say; she hasn’t even begun to process her own guilt, her own emotions; her pain and her anger and her fears that he’ll leave her; but he _can’t_. “He won”.

“Right, then”. Sokka nods, though she can see that he’s in shock too; she hasn’t bothered to cover up the wound, too unsure, and it is there for everyone to see. Except Toph, of course, who is looking more like a confused child than ever. She takes the younger girl’s hand, and gently squeezes it. Her brother continues. “It’s Zuko. The guy is more stubborn than a spider-roach; he’ll pull through”.

Suki nods decisively, and takes up the story. “We took down the ships, and Aang came back to fight Ozai”. Her head lifts at that, and she looks at the airbender- _he did it!_ –but Suki continues, a little hesitantly, now. “He’s, um, he’s still alive”.

Alive.

That monster is _alive_ , while Zuko has barely survived.

She looks at Aang, who is smiling weakly, as if he’s expecting praise; and a part of her knows that she should be happy, should be grateful that the younger boy is alright and that the war is apparently over; but she can’t think past the sudden fury in her ears. “You left him alive?”

Aang nods. “Yup! There was a lion-turtle, and I learned how to bend him without breaking myself, and took away his bending, and-”

“How could you leave him alive!” The words pour out of her, unchecked, and the pain, the guilt, the rage swirling throughout rises to the surface. “Look at Zuko! You know what that monster has done to him- done to all of us! How can you let him live, after that!”

She stands, unsure of what she’ll do, only that she needs to _break_ something, but her brother restrains her. “Katara. Calm down. You can barely move, as it is. I’m not happy about it, either, but this isn’t the time to worry about it. We left him tied up in the airship for now. General Iroh is on his way- he sent us a messenger hawk; apparently, they took back Ba Sing Se- and he’s coming now. He can decide what to do with Ozai, or Zuko can, when he wakes up”.

She forces herself to breathe, and nods. She knows that Aang is staring at her with a sad-panda look; and a part of her wants to comfort him- but she is still so furious, and hurt that he _left_ , that she doesn’t think she can speak to him right now. It is good that Iroh is coming- someone needs to tell him, about what has happened to his nephew, to his son. “Alright”. She looks around at them. “What do we do now?”

Sokka shrugs. “Well, someone should probably do something about princess crazy- but I don’t want to go anywhere near her. But I think we all need some food right now, and some rest. I don’t think we can do anything until Iroh gets here- this whole place is deserted, for some reason”.

“I’m not leaving him”. She checks Zuko’s pulse again; still beating.

Suki nods. “I’ll go try to find a kitchen, and see if I can get us food. Sokka, you stay here, you can barely walk. Toph-” but here the younger girl shakes her head, moving to sit on the bed next to Zuko, and understanding breaks out on Suki’s face. “Aang, come help me”.

The Avatar looks torn, but he finally nods, and the two of them leave. She stretches herself out, and moves closer to Zuko, taking up the water and running it over his chest again. His heart may have mostly stabilized, but there is still a horrific amount of damage; she begins to try to knit the muscles of his chest back together. Sokka and Toph sit with her, in silence, and she is so grateful for their presence; it keeps her emotions from crushing her.

She needs him to wake up- she won’t accept anything else. The thing in her chest has grown, crawling its way up her throat until the words threaten to burst out of her; but she won’t give them a voice, a name. She can’t. Not now.

Maybe, not ever; not without him.

 ___________________________________

At first, she doesn’t register anything.

It has been a week since their arrival at the palace; Iroh had bustled in on the third day, and immediately set about organizing. He’d somehow managed to build a small army of doctors, who had praised her over and over, saying that she saved Zuko’s life; she’d wanted to correct them- _he saved mine, it’s my fault that he’s like this_ –but the words had gotten choked in her throat. Iroh had also moved Azula to a private mental facility, dug up servants from somewhere, and found the Fire Sages, so that the palace is alive with people. Ozai has been quietly thrown into the dungeons, and although her anger has not vanished, she’s controlled herself; Sokka is right- the former Firelord’s fate is not up to her. Additionally, Iroh had arranged rooms for them all; guest quarters in the royal wing.

But she’d refused to sleep in her own room. She won’t leave him, but has taken to sitting at his bedside. Iroh had nodded sadly, and she thinks that he probably understands. Sometimes he joins her in her vigil, as do the others, but often he is away, trying to organize matters for when Zuko wakes up.

So, she is by herself in his room when she hears the faint rustling coming from the bed.

She blinks blearily- there it is again, and suddenly adrenaline jolts her awake. She leans over the bed, and oh-

Golden eyes blink up at her.

She smiles- she wants to thank him, wants to hug him, wants to start crying –but before any of that can come out, he speaks first. “Katara?”

His voice is raspier than normal, scratchy, and frankly sounds as though a badger-mole has tried to dig a tunnel through his throat; but he’s _alive_ , and it’s the most beautiful sound she’s ever heard. “I’m here”.

“Water?”

“Right- yes!” She bends some for him instantly out of the air; there isn’t a nearby glass, so she puts it in his mouth, herself. “How are you feeling?”

“Horrible”. Even so, he tries to sit up; immediately, she pushes him back down, scowling.

“No! You are not leaving this bed! I can’t- you can’t-” Again, she feels the tears start to flow. This seems to alarm him, as both eyes widen, even as he looks like he’s like he’s tiring again.

“Are- are you okay?”

“No! I mean, yes!” She wipes at her face and glares at him. “You’re the one who’s not okay!”

“But you’re alright”. He smiles, then, but it’s weak. “The others?”

“They’re safe, Zuko. Your uncle is here- everyone is here. We won”. She debates telling him that Ozai is still alive; but his eyes are beginning to blink closed, again; clearly this conversation has used up most of his energy. “It’s okay. Go back to sleep, now. I’ll be here when you wake up. I promise”.

He nods at her, and tries to speak; but whatever he says gets lost in his fatigue, and his face relaxes back into slumber. She sighs; contemplates him.

Then she leans forward, and gently kisses his sweaty forehead.

She still won’t name the thing inside of her. But- she thinks that, just a little, she is beginning to understand what it is.

 ___________________________________

As time passes after the comet, she learns something else: Zuko is an awful patient.

He wants to leave the bed the instant he wakes up again, even though his legs are shaking and it is obvious that he can barely move. He grumbles when she makes him take his medicine, but she scowls right back; she will force him to recover, no matter how much he might hate the process. He constantly tries to get the servants to bring him scrolls, official documents that need to be looked at in the aftermath of the war; but she sends them away. She won’t let him tire himself out; the work will still be there when he is better.

At the end of each day, however, he thanks her softly for her efforts.

___________________________________ 

She cannot stop the sob from bursting out of her throat the first time that Zuko looks at the scar.

It has been three weeks since the fight with Azula; three weeks of constantly worrying over her wayward patient. But now, Zuko is more mobile; able to walk longer distances within the palace. She is helping him to change the bandages in his room, when he pauses and goes to the attached bathing-room.

Curious, she follows, and sees him staring into a full-length looking-glass that hangs on the far wall.

Her heart stops.

She has seen the wound before, obviously, and though she’d futilely wished it wouldn’t scar- _he doesn’t deserve to carry anymore_ –she knows what it looks like. But seeing him there, watching it; she can see the full picture with the other marks on his body, the crisscross lines on his back, the red skin on his face that is now matched in color by the starburst on his chest; she doesn’t quite cry, but she can feel the prickling behind her eyes.

His face looks alarmed, at the noise she can’t suppress- he turns to face her. “Katara?! What’s wrong?”

She takes a deep breath, but looks him square in the eyes. “I’m sorry”.

He frowns. “For what?”

“For- for everything!” She waves her arms, finally letting go of some of the _guilt_ that has been plaguing her since the Agni Kai. “I’m sorry I stepped out from behind the pillar- I’m sorry that you got hurt, protecting me- I’m sorry that you almost died- I’m sorry that-”

He doesn’t let her finish, and instead moves closer, placing both hands on her shoulders and stopping her in her tracks. She can tell that he would rather hug her; but the hole in his chest prevents him from moving closer. “Katara. Stop”.

“But-”

“No”. He smiles at her, then, and moves to take both her hands in his; her heart gives a flutter, at that. “This isn’t your fault. Agni, I would do it a hundred more times if it meant keeping you safe. I don’t regret this. Besides, you saved me too- we both know I wouldn’t be standing here if not for you”.

She sighs, but glances furtively towards the glass. “How can you say that?” Her voice breaks, a little. “You have- you have so many scars already. I don’t- you shouldn’t have anymore”.

His face goes a little still, but he shakes his head. “Yeah, I do have scars. I hate most of them- my father didn’t just give me the one on my face”. He looks down, and she can’t help leaning in, horrified; but he continues. “But- most of them, they’re reminders that I survived. I didn’t give up”.

He moves his hand to place it as close to his fresh scar as possible, taking hers with it. “This one is also a reminder; I saved you, and you saved me. In so many ways, Katara, you’ve helped save me; you don’t even understand how much”. He presses his forehead to hers. “I know it isn’t pretty. But I will carry this scar, proudly, for the rest of my life”.

She moves her hands, then, and places them on either side of his face, scarred and unscarred. “Thank you, Zuko”. She can’t stop the tears from falling, then. “You’ve saved me too”.

 ___________________________________

As Zuko recovers, time begins to move more quickly; soon, he will be crowned. She isn’t sure what will happen after that, but she can feel a change in the air. Her father, who is alive, thank Yue, has sent a messenger-hawk saying that he is making his way towards the capital, slowly. He will be there in time for the ascension of the new king; to see the end of the war formally announced. After that; well, she needs to think.

So, while Zuko is eagerly getting himself back into firebending training, one morning (but she’s making him be careful!) she wanders the palace grounds, until she finds a secluded garden. There is a pond at the center, with turtle-ducks; a mother and her babies. She can’t help but grin at the sight, and takes a seat under the willow that overlooks the water.

It is here that Aang finds her, half an hour later, and although she is nervous about what’s sure to be a difficult conversation, she smiles at him.

She is a little surprised, though, at the first words out of his mouth. “I’m sorry!”

Not that she didn’t want an apology, but she didn’t expect to be getting one; Aang can be a little dense, sometimes. “What?”

“I’m sorry I disappeared!” Grey eyes stare up at her, pleadingly; already she feels herself softening, but he isn’t out of the woods just yet. “I didn’t mean to, though. It was like I was in a trance; I woke up and found myself on a lion-turtle, and then my past lives all talked to me, and I had to learn energybending! But Toph already got mad at me, and so did Sokka, and I know you’re upset, but I don’t want you to be mad at me anymore, and I’m sorry!”

She shakes her head, a little, at the onslaught of words. “I am upset that you disappeared, Aang. Even if you didn’t have a choice, you still shouldn’t have run away in the first place- we were only trying to help!”

“I know”. He looks at his feet. “I really am sorry”.

“I’m glad you’re safe, though”. She moves her arms and gives him a hug; he returns it willingly. “I was worried about you”.

He nods, and she is happy to see his smile coming back, even if she doubts the difficult part of the conversation is over. “Yeah! And I defeated Ozai too, without killing him, so everybody wins!” He pauses, watching her carefully. “I know you were mad about that too, though”.

“I-” She doesn’t know what to say. It’s not that her feelings have changed; she wishes Ozai were dead. But looking at Aang, he is after all, just a child; how cruel would it be for her, to yell at him now, to get angry that he did not commit an act he so desperately wanted to avoid? Even if she did get upset, she wonders if he’d really understand; Aang has always looked at the world with brighter eyes than everyone else; he sees the good in everyone, which she does love about him. But, she doubts he can grasp the shades of grey that his actions have caused; the political backlash that is sure to hit Zuko and Iroh at the upcoming, hastily-arranged peace conference in Ba Sing Se. Leaving Ozai alive will only cause problems; she is certain.

But Aang won’t understand, and she doesn’t want to take his smile away anymore. “I don’t agree with what you did, Aang. But that doesn’t matter right now. I really am happy that you’re okay”. She doesn’t apologize for having yelled at him earlier, though, and she is sure he notices.

He frowns, a little, but in an odd show of maturity, chooses to let it go. “I guess. I’m glad you’re alright too”. He hugs her again, and she pats him on the back.

They sit in silence for about two minutes before Aang, true to form, start to talk again. “Um, Katara?”

She has a feeling that she knows what’s coming. “Yes, Aang?”

“Can we talk? About us?”

She doesn’t want to do this; over the past few weeks, she has become surer of her feelings; but she knows it is only fair, that she does. “Yes. I think we should”.

“Great!” He looks at his lap again, but seems to muster his courage and looks her in the eye. “I’ve thought it over, and I’m sorry, about what happened on Ember Island. I shouldn’t have kissed you like that”.

She nods; again, a little surprised that he recognizes to apologize. “Apology accepted”.

“But I really do love you”. He’s gotten closer now, though he remains a respectful distance. “And I meant it, when I said that I wanted to be with you”.

“I know you meant it Aang”. She looks at her lap- it’s now or never. “And I love you too. But…not like that”.

He’s looking at her, confused and lost, as though he doesn’t understand. It’s breaking her heart to do this; but she owes it, both to him and herself, to be honest. “But Katara… you’re my forever girl”.

She shakes her head, pushing down the irritation she feels at those words. “But Aang, you can’t claim that. You’ve never even asked me if I want to be your forever girl; you’ve just assumed. You’re my best friend. But I don’t love you, not like that”.

“I can be better!” He’s pleading now, and Yue, it _hurts_ , but she can’t back down. “I’ll change, I promise! I can be whatever you want me to be”.

“I don’t want you to change, not for me”. She takes his hands, smiling at him through the tears she feels beginning to fall. “You shouldn’t have to, Aang. You deserve better than that, and I want you to find it with someone. It’s just not going to be me”. She hesitates now- should she really say this? –but figures that it’s best to be straight. “Also… I think I like someone else”.

He’s not looking at her anymore, but his voice comes out as a mumble. “It’s Zuko, isn’t it?”

She starts. “How did you know?”

“You spend a lot of time, with him”. Aang finally raises his head, and he’s crying, she sees, but at least he isn’t storming off in a rage, which is progress. “I didn’t want to see it, but I do”.

“Oh”. They sit in silence for a bit, and she’s not sure what to say now. Both are crying quietly, but even through her tears, she feels a sense of relief.

Eventually, Aang starts to get to his feet. “I should go”.

She nods. “Will you be okay?”

“Yeah, I think so”. The younger boy nods. “I’m angry, and hurting, but I’ll be okay. I think I’ll go hang out with Appa, for a while”.

He blows off into the distance, and for a long time she doesn’t move; staring at the turtle-ducks. Eventually, though, she rises, and moves towards the palace. She bumps into Zuko as he comes in from the training yard; he is shirtless and sweaty, scars on display, and Yue, he’s the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen.

He’s looking at her a bit alarmed though; evidently the tear-tracks are still drying on her face. “Katara. Are you okay?”

She smiles at him; Aang has helped her to name the warmth that’s unfurling in her chest, and even though she isn’t quite sure what to do with it, yet, she’s glad for it all the same. “I’m fine, Zuko”. She holds out her hand and he takes it, if a bit confusedly.

They walk into the palace, together.

 ___________________________________

She is about to enter the room when she hears the hushed voices.

Normally, she would enter the room regardless; but she recognizes Zuko’s voice, and the person he’s talking to doesn’t sound as though they’re a servant.

She chances a peak around the corner- Knifey!

Wait, no- she thinks that she remembers hearing the girl’s name once- Mai, was it?

Not that names matter, because Knifey-Mai is currently hugging Zuko, who’s grasping her back just as tightly.

She hesitates again, and feels an uncomfortable coil rising in her chest- but just as she’s wondering if she ought to leave, Knifey-Mai sweeps out of the room in a swirl of black clothing, her head held high and arms folded primly.

The girl barely even _looks_ at her, as she goes.

Well, she should probably leave. After all; Zuko’s getting ready for his coronation today, and maybe she shouldn’t disturb him- the discomfort in her chest is rising, but just as she’s turning to leave, she hears her name in his raspy tones. “Katara?”

She almost jumps out of her skin. “Zuko! I, um-”

He looks at her, funnily. “What are you doing?”

She waves her hand around a bit vaguely, trying to think of an escape method. “I was just coming to see if you needed any help getting dressed, but I saw Kni- I mean Mai! I saw Mai, and I figured she was helping you, and-”

“Actually, I would love some help”. He holds his hand out to her, and she can’t refuse him, even as she recalls the sight of him in another girl’s embrace. So, she moves into the room- _I’m not jealous! I’m just confused_ –and moves to help him tie the sash on his robe, so that he can put his (incredibly complicated) Firelord regalia on easier. Neither of them speaks, for a while, but eventually he breaks the silence. “Mai came to say goodbye”.

She freezes- _Who is she to you?_ _You know her well?- what?_ –but he seems to be expecting an answer, so she tries to collect her thoughts. “Oh? What happened?”

She winces as her voice squeaks- _get yourself together, Katara!_ –but Zuko doesn’t seem to mind. “Right. Sorry. Yeah. I mean, we dated for a while, but broke up before, but then we got back together, and broke up again- but it’s over for good this time. She saved us, back at the Boiling Rock, but she came now to tell me goodbye. Her family is moving away from Omashu to go live in their Fire Nation countryside manor”.

She considers him. “Are you alright, with that?”

“Actually, yes”. He nods. “Mai and I have been growing apart for a while. We aren’t the same people we used to be, and well, I haven’t treated her very well”. He winces. “The last time I broke up with her, before I came to join you guys, I left a note”.

“Zuko!” She smacks his shoulder, gently; but she can’t stop the relief from unfurling inside of her. “That’s awful!”

“And I forgot her in prison”.

She can’t help laughing, even though she guesses it’s probably not that funny. “You’re terrible”. But she grins at him, and he smiles back, a little weakly. She moves to help him place the black-and-gold collar on, over his robes, but must stand on her tip-toes. She stumbles a little, on the way down, and falls against him; he catches her, keeping them both upright.

“Katara”. His voice is low, soothing in her ear; his body is warm against her own, as always, and she notes that he smells like spice and musk.

She looks up at him. “Zuko, I-” Golden eyes watch her own, unflinchingly, and she feels it surge to life again, her newly-realized feelings tumbling up out of her chest. But now isn’t the time; they have a coronation to attend, and after- well, she is still working on the after. “Do you want me to tie your hair up?”

She swears that she sees something like disappointment flashing in his eyes; but she puts it aside.

He sits down on a nearby futon, and she runs her fingers through his silky black hair- it’s softer than she’d thought, and almost fluffy. Gently, she brushes it; pulls it into a high topknot, where the crown will sit. “Perfect”.

His hand comes up to wind in hers, then, and she squeezes it back. “You can do this, Zuko. You will be the Firelord that this country, this world, needs”.

He stands and turns to face her then. Slowly, giving her time to react, he leans in and plants a kiss on her cheek; she can feel her face heating up. His smile is warm, even as she can see the blush on his own cheeks. “Thank you, Katara”.

In the assembled crowd for his coronation, she finds her father and her brother and hugs them both tightly; hardly daring to believe that this day has come. When Zuko comes out, he is magnificent, just like she knew he’d be. When the crowd starts to cheer, just like she knew they would, she makes sure that her voice is among the loudest.

Later, she swears that he catches her eye, and grins.

 ___________________________________

The fireworks are beautiful.

One thing she will say for the Fire Nation; they know how to throw a party. Though perhaps, this is more Iroh’s doing; the old general has been merrily planning the coronation party for weeks, much to his nephew’s chagrin. In the crowd, she sees Suki and Sokka talking with a group of Fire Nation ministers; her father and other warriors of her tribe are laughing with a group of Earth Kingdom soldiers. She sees Toph and Aang dancing together, a bright smile on the Avatar’s face as he leads the younger girl in a circle, moving to the music. She smiles; pleased that Aang is doing alright.

But when the _booms_ start, she doesn’t follow the crowd outdoors; rather, she makes her way to a balcony overlooking the assembled people, and watches the explosions of color.

She feels his presence before she hears him.

Before she can turn around, Zuko is next to her, and she nudges him. “Shouldn’t you be with the party, your Majesty?”

“Don’t call me that”. But he is smiling at her. “I could ask you the same thing”.

“The party is for you, Zuko”.

He shakes his head. “Not really. I mean, I guess, but this feels more like a celebration for the people, of peace, than it is about me. And I don’t mind”. He scratches his neck. “I’m, um, I’m not good at parties”.

She laughs at him. “How can you not be good at parties? They’re fun!”

He clears his throat. “I may have broken the house, the last time I went to a party. And possibly beat up the owner”.

“Zuko!”

“He deserved it!” But he’s still smiling. “Besides, I- I wanted to spend this time with you”.

She grins at him, and holds out her hand. He takes it, immediately. “Me too”.

They stay like that for a while, before he speaks again. “What happens now?”

She feels a heaviness at the reminder of the upcoming _after_ , but sighs. “We’ll be staying here for a while, before we all travel to Ba Sing Se for the peace conference. But my father spoke to me, today; he wants Sokka and I to come home with him, to rebuild the tribe, our people”.

He watches her carefully. “And what do you want?”

“I want to go home”. She knows it’s true- she misses the snowy expanse of her homeland, misses the feeling of cold, crisp air in her lungs, and the scent of Gran-Gran’s cooked stewed sea prunes. “But… I also don’t want to leave. I’ve learned so much about the world, over the past year, and I want to know more”. She hesitates. “I don’t think I can do that if I stay in the South Pole”.

He squeezes her hand. “You’re Katara. Whatever you do, I know you’ll be amazing at it”.

The unspoken _but_ lies heavy in-between them, and now, she feels, is the time to push. “What about you, Zuko? What do you want?”

Golden eyes widen, but hold her own carefully, and she doesn’t look away. She’s come so far, and he has been here every step of the way; as a friend, as an enemy, as her family. She can’t imagine her life without him in it; somehow, Zuko has carved a place into her world as though he’d always been there. “There’s a lot I have to do. Uncle and I need to take Ozai to the conference for him to stand trial in front of the Nations”. He looks down, but squeezes her hand tighter. “I have to rebuild the Fire Nation’s economy from the ground up, and completely rework my people. I want to find my mother.” Here she nods- she remembers him telling her, during one of their nightly sparring sessions back on Ember Island, that Ursa might still be alive. “I feel like I might drown, under all the pressure. But through it all, I don’t want to lose the family I’ve found. I don’t want to lose you”.

She leans in closer; presses her forehead to his. “You won’t lose me, Zuko. It doesn’t matter where I go, where you go. You won’t lose me”.

His voice is hoarse. “Promise?”

She nods; the tension is so thick that she feels she might burst.

“Katara”. The hand not holding hers comes up to cup her chin. “Can I-”

“Yes”. She surges forward at the same time he does, standing on her tiptoes, pressing her lips to his. It’s a little awkward; he must bend down, and she doesn’t have a ton of experience, after all; but at the same time, it’s perfect. He tastes like the spice that she has come to learn is called cinnamon; and his mouth is warm, the heat melting through her and causing even her toes to tingle.

She doesn’t want to pull back; but eventually, she needs to breathe and so does he. They pull apart, gasping, and he looks about as rumpled as she feels internally; but there is a blinding grin on his face, and she is certain that hers is a mirror image. She reaches up to gently adjust his crown, which has become crooked in their embrace. “That’s my promise, Zuko”. She looks him in the eyes; his beautiful, warm golden eyes. “Whatever comes next, you’ll have me”.

He wraps his arms around her then, pulling her against his chest. She can feel the touch of his lips against the crown of her head. “And you will have me”.

She smiles, and lets herself breathe, turning to face the celebration below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes on this chapter:
> 
> I want to apologize, if Aang possibly came off as a bit insensitive, or OOC throughout this. Writing Aang is difficult for me; I love the boy, but it's hard for me to get into his headspace. I tried to write him as much like a child as possible, because, well, he is a child, and he's going to do stupid, childish things. 
> 
> Reading through this, I realized that I had Katara crying a lot. I hope it didn't throw anyone off. I guess I just feel as though being around Zuko allows her to express the emotions that she might not always show to others, not even Sokka. 
> 
> This is actually the "end" of the work, so to speak- the third chapter is an epilogue, which I will hopefully get around to posting within the next week. Fingers crossed!


	3. Epilogue: here we go (again)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! I just barely made my own deadline, so yay!
> 
> About this epilogue: I had a lot of ideas for it. But if I'd written them all out, it would have been another 10k saga, and I just did not have the time for that right now, sorry! But maybe I can eventually make a series out of this, who knows? Anyways, this epilogue is really just a short scene in the future. Pure fluff, honestly. For the ideas/notes that I didn't include in this epilogue, I wrote them at the end of the work.
> 
> There is also a very tiny amount of implied sexuality in this, but nothing actually happens.

She can’t sleep.

The sheets are silken, some of the highest quality she’s ever seen, but she is restless. Her muscles ache with energy; with nerves, she’s not quite sure. She wishes she could chalk the feeling up to her scheduled meeting with the Fire Nation Council tomorrow; but they are merely another set of shifty-eyed, sharp-tongued politicians; she is a Master of her Tribe, and she has faced far worse.

Eventually, she can’t take it anymore; she kicks the covers off, and leaves her room. Navigating the hallways of the Fire Nation Palace is a simple task, and she finds herself outside. The bright, gentle light of Yue touches her skin, and already, she feels a little bit better. It calls to the pull of her blood; she breathes out, and makes her way to the extensive multi-discipline training grounds that she’d passed on her way in, earlier today.

“I was wondering when you’d show up”.

His raspy voice, deeper now at the age of nineteen, startles and soothes her in equal measures. Zuko smiles at her from where he’s sitting on the edge of the water-pool in the grounds, and she feels her face break into a smile even as she can’t help but stare at him.

His hair has grown, into a shining black mass that falls halfway down his back, though he currently has it pulled into a high phoenix tail (thankfully it is not shaved). He is even taller now, more muscled, and she tries very hard to suppress the sudden _want_ that she feels.

She moves to sit next to him. “You were expecting me?”

He shrugs. “You always go out to bend when you’re stressed, or tired, and you looked like both earlier today when you arrived”.

“I’m not stressed!” He shoots her a side eye, and she nudges him with her shoulder. “Really. It’s just… being the Ambassador for the Southern Water Tribe is a lot. I know I can do it. But it still has me feeling jittery”.

“I know”. He rises to his feet in one fluid motion and extends a hand. “May I have this match, Master Katara?”

She takes it, even as she grins. “You haven’t seen me in three years and the first thing you want to do is fight?”

His smile causes her blood to feel very hot, suddenly. “It’s not as though we haven’t spoken. I sent you a messenger hawk every week. But…I missed this”.

She can’t look away from the burn of his golden gaze, at that. It has been a long three years; after the war, she’d gone back home, wanting to help her tribe. And she has; she has overseen the expansion of her people, helped to establish schools, hospitals, housing, trade routes; anything that she could think of. And she’d loved it; but as she’d thought, eventually it had felt too…small. The South Pole alone is not enough for her, not anymore.

But through it all, she’d had Zuko. He’d never stopped sending her letters, gifts; anything that he thought she’d enjoy, telling her about even the simplest things that had never failed to put a smile on her face. And without fail, she would always reply; sending him homemade seal jerky, notes; exchanging everything from political ideas to a handcrafted wooden carving of a turtle-duck.

(Subsequently, she’d learned that he’s a _terrible_ carver; but she still carries the figure with her everywhere).

He is right, though. It hasn’t been the same, as physically being near him; the ceremony to greet her earlier had been full of pomp and circumstance; this is the closest she’s been to him in three years. So, she settles into an easy stance, and can’t help but think back to long-ago nights on Ember Island as he does the same, under the light of the full moon. “Ready when you are”.

He smirks. “You’re on, waterbender”.

His bending is stronger than she’s ever seen it; but then, so is hers. Flames crash against walls of water, producing sizzling steam. He doesn’t hold back; but she can still see the glint in his golden eyes, the spark of exhilaration that she is sure is reflected in her own.

They get closer and closer, and eventually she hooks a foot around the edge of his ankle while he’s deflecting, sending him down on the ground; she doesn’t hesitate to pin him. “I win”.

He doesn’t respond, though, and she pauses, taking a closer look at him. His face is flushed, and he’s panting, and his eyes are darker than she’s ever seen, the gold merely a thin ring surrounding the black. It’s then that she becomes far more aware of their position; every inch of her body is pressed against his, and neither of them are wearing anything more than a few loosened layers.

She sits up, abruptly, but he follows her, so that he’s leaning back on his hands and she’s pressed to his chest. His voice comes out as a raspy murmur. “Katara”.

She looks at him again, _really_ looks at him, and exhales, wrapping her arms around him and burying her head against his shoulder. “I missed you, Zuko”.

He mumbles something that sounds like an agreement against her temple, before one of his hands comes up to cup her face so that she’s forced to look at him. His face is spread into a warm smile, but his eyes have turned searching. “I never stopped thinking about you”.

She exhales then, because she’s never stopped either. Before she’d left after the war, she remembers stolen kisses in hallways, laughter and, the thrill of something new, something that she’d wanted to go further; but she’d had to go home. He’d kissed her on the docks before she’d left with her father on the ship, in front of their entire family; and she knows it hadn’t been a goodbye, but a promise.

Their letters had been full of those, promises that looked to a brighter future.

Now she’s here though, as an ambassador, so she will be residing semi-permanently in the Fire Nation and suddenly, an old promise feels like it could become a reality. So, she presses her forehead to his. “Where do we go, from here?”

“First, I really want to kiss you right now”. He shifts, and she can feel his heart racing wildly in his chest, not that hers is any better. “And I would also like to court you properly this time”.

She smiles, but she can hear the deeper meaning behind his words. “Is that so, Firelord? And what about your people?”

He shrugs. “You are the daughter of the chief, which puts you on par with being a princess. Furthermore; you are the ambassador for your people, and a strong politician. If anyone has further objections, I’ll put them in a sparring ring with you and watch you kick their asses”.

She laughs, then, giddy on the possibilities. “You would make a waterbender the next queen?”

He moves then, so that both his hands are cupping her face. “You could do so much for this nation, Katara. And I’m ready to crown you this instant, if you want. You know that”.

“Is this your idea of a proposal? Three years and now you’re proposing?” She can’t stop smiling though, and he knows it, because the look on his face is getting smugger by the second.

“Well, I may have asked Sokka for tips on carving a betrothal necklace last year when he came to visit with Suki”. He watches her carefully; she can’t help her mouth dropping open. Her brother had gone to the Fire Nation to represent their father at the international peace conference being hosted in Caldera City, and had somehow ended up staying for a month longer than expected. When Sokka had come home, he’d brought her the horrible turtle-duck carving; but now she realizes that apparently, he’d been doing a lot more than that.

She shakes herself. “But-”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t carve you a betrothal necklace”. She blinks, shocked, and he smirks. “I’d never ask you to give up your mother’s”. One of his hands moves to thumb the pendant at her throat. “I did, however, spend hours carving a set of betrothal combs with Southern Water Tribe symbols”.

“You know I’m not ready to get married just yet, right?” She s _till_ can’t stop grinning though, and the look on her face is reflected on his.

“I know. Which, is why this is not a proposal, not quite yet”. He kisses her forehead. “It’s a request to court you, properly. I know we’ll argue, we’ll get mad, we’ll have screaming bending matches that end up with half the palace broken, but I want you with me. We can court for as long as you want”. He tilts his head; a challenge in his eyes. “However, I will be proposing to you one day. Just so you know”.

She smirks. “I expect nothing less”. Less than a heartbeat, and _finally_ , his lips are on hers, and she feels as though she might burn from the heat of his mouth alone. He lies back down, pulling her with him, and she feels something unlock in the center of her chest.

They don’t stay out there all night; eventually she feels the fatigue from her journey here pressing at the back of her eyelids. Zuko stands when she breaks their kiss with a yawn, picking her up as though she’s lighter than air. He sets her down on her feet when she smacks him, and they walk back into the palace together. He drops her at her rooms; but there is fire in his eyes, and she kisses him hard again before he leaves to go to his own quarters.

When she finally slips back under the sheets, she falls asleep almost instantly; her restlessness replaced by a calm certainty that their future will work out.

 _______________________________

 

Eight years later, she watches him name their baby daughter in front of all their family, friends. The look on his face is one that she’s never seen before, and she smiles at the sight.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some final notes:
> 
> So, in this storyline, Katara left shortly after the war to go back home, but she and Zuko kept in touch, of course, so this scene is essentially their reunion. Fluff ensues. Prior to this scene, they did (technically) meet at the greeting ceremony for the new ambassador, but this is their first time getting be alone with just each other. And yes, I had to make it a bending match because, well, that is sort of how this all started, anyways. 
> 
> I didn't really include the rest of the Gaang in this (sorry!) but imagine that after the war, Aang took to traveling and learning more about becoming an Avatar (because I love him, but he really does need some growth). Toph stays with Zuko for a while, and becomes somewhat of an emissary, traveling back and forth between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, except instead of politics she settles physical disputes, like a badass. (I just don't love the idea of making her go back home to live with her parents, so her home is now with Zuko). Sokka went back to the South Pole and Suki returned to Kyoshi, but they stayed together, even though long-distance relationships are challenging. And of course, the entire Gaang remains connected and in touch, even when they haven't seen each other for a while. 
> 
> As for Zuko's family, Iroh is doing perfectly well, assisting his nephew while having opened his own tea-shop in Caldera. Azula is recovering at her mental facility, and I feel as though one day I ought to write a proper Azula recovery/redemption fic. Ursa is...still missing. Ozai is dead. Executed after the war. I hate leaving him alive- I know it was a "kids" show, but I just wanted him dead, so...yup (excuse my bloodthirstiness). 
> 
> In this, I used betrothal combs as a Fire Nation tradition for proposals, mostly because I like the idea. Though, in all honestly, I'm also perfectly cool with the idea of Katara getting a new betrothal necklace from Zuko (shrugs) it just happened to play out this way, in this story. 
> 
> Additionally, Katara and Zuko date (court?) for about five years after this scene, blowing Avatar-world politics away with how much of an epic, world-changing couple they are, before Zuko proposes (for real this time), and they get married. And then, three years later, the adventures of mini Fire Nation Royalty begin! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and to everyone who commented/left kudos, I'm incredibly grateful. I hope you liked it!


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